Association between osteoporosis and periodontal disease among menopausal women: The 2013–2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

BACKGROUND: This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between osteoporosis and periodontal disease among Korean menopausal women, as well as the association between osteoporosis and periodontal disease according to duration after menopause. METHODS: Of a total of 22,948 subjects who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, from 2013 to 2015 the final study population was limited to 2,573 subjects with no missing values. The subjects were divided into two groups, normal bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporosis, according to the T-score obtained from bone densitometry. Scores of ≥ 3 points for the community periodontal index of treatment needs were reclassified as periodontal disease. Moreover, after stratification of the variable ‘duration after menopause’ into 0–4, 5–9, and ≥10 years, binary logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between osteoporosis and periodontal disease according to the duration after menopause. RESULTS: There was an association between osteoporosis and periodontal disease. The osteoporosis group had an adjusted odds ratio [OR] of 1.25 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00–1.56) for periodontal disease compared to the normal BMD group. Of note, the osteoporosis group in the menopausal transition stage (0–4 years after menopause) showed an adjusted OR of 2.08 (95% CI: 1.15–3.77) for developing periodontal disease. CONCLUSIONS: Osteoporosis was associated with periodontal disease and the association was strongest among women in the menopausal transition stage, 0–4 years after menopause. Oral health promotion, including regular oral examination and oral hygiene care, is particularly useful for menopausal transition women with osteoporosis.